2024 Long Island election results: LaLota reelected, Gillen declares victory

East Hampton residents voted in favor of building a roundabout at the intersection of Three Mile Harbor Road and Springs Fireplace Road, where traffic officials say there are many accidents and traffic delays.

Voters in Southampton approved a water filtration system that will remove toxins like blue-green algae from Lake Agawam. The system is said to be able to filter three million gallons of water a day.

New York state Democrats have successfully preserved their stronghold in both houses of the legislature following the latest election results.

Among the key victories, Siela Bynoe has made history, becoming the first Black woman from Long Island to serve in the state Senate. A former Nassau County legislator for a decade, Bynoe’s win is a significant milestone for representation in the state capital.

While Democrats have celebrated several wins, two races remain too close to call:

• In the 4th Assembly District, Republican incumbent Ed Flood and Democrat Rebecca Kassay are locked in a tight battle, with less than 300 votes separating the candidates.
• The 11th Assembly District is also up in the air, with Democrat Kwani O’Pharrow trailing Republican Joseph Cardinale by a narrow margin of about 300 votes.

As both parties await the final count, the outcome of these races could still shift, leaving the state legislature's final makeup in some suspense.

Jenna Zaza

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WSHU

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) was reelected to a third term representing New York's 2nd Congressional District.

The district, which spans across much of Long Island’s south shore, voted 60.1% to 39.9% in favor of Garbarino over his Democratic opponent, Rob Lubin, 29.

“With Donald Trump as president, a republican senate, a republican house, we can close our border, we can lower taxes,” Garbarino said in his victory speech at Stereo Garden.

Jenna Zaza

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WSHU

Republican incumbent Nick LaLota has declared victory over Democratic challenger John Avlon in New York’s first congressional district. He won six points over Alvon, cementing his second term in office.

“I am only here because of everything you’ve done. You knocked on doors, you made the phone calls, I’m so thankful for every one of you,” LaLota said in his acceptance speech at Stereo Garden. “I will continue to fight for you in Washington.”

NYS Democratic party chair Jay Jacobs announced to a crowded, boisterous ballroom at the Garden City Hotel that Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi have been elected in the fourth and third districts, respectively.

Democrat Laura Gillen has declared victory in the race for New York's Fourth Congressional District on Long Island.

She addressed a crowded ballroom at the Garden City Hotel around midnight, thanking the labor movement for its support and congratulating her opponent, Republican Congressman Anthony D'Esposito.

Bebeto Matthews

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AP

New Yorkers voted “yes” on the Equal Rights Amendment to the state constitution in the 2024 general election. The amendment extends protections against discrimination based on sex, gender expression, ethnicity, national origin, pregnancy outcomes and other forms of identity.

Supporters say the amendment, also known as “Prop One,” protects abortion rights.

“What Prop One is about is not necessarily creating new rights, but fortifying existing rights that are already protected under statutes, not the constitution,” Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union Donna Lieberman said in an interview with Capital Tonight last week. “It’s really hard to amend the state constitution and statues can be amended with a change in political administration.”

Attorney General Letitia James said Prop One will place the decision of abortion rights in the hands of women without any governmental interference.

“It takes the decision-making out of the hands of politicians and puts it squarely in the hands of the people, as it should be,” James said at a New York for Equal Rights virtual rally in October.

Advocacy groups in favor of the proposition say that the amendment will now make protections against discrimination ironclad for New Yorkers.

However, its vague language makes it unclear how effective the amendment will be, allowing state courts to interpret it differently.

Opponents of the amendment argued it would undermine traditional gender roles and attack women’s rights by allowing transgender women to play in girls’ sports.

They also raised concerns about the language regarding protection against discrimination of national origin, fearing it would give noncitizens the right to vote and create tax benefits for them.

Lieberman called those claims “garbage.”

“It is attempted fear-mongering,” she said. “It is an attempt to divide us, distract us, and delude New Yorkers from what the goal of Prop One is, which is to protect equal rights for New Yorkers. It is an attempt to distract us, divide us from New York values.”

Maya Duclay

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WSHU

A few hundred supporters have gathered at Democratic headquarters at the Garden City Hotel.

All eyes are on two big screens projecting national election results.

A big whoop went up from the crowd when the AP called New York for Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

The mood has been consistently jovial, with speakers blasting Van Morrison and Otis Redding tunes and bartenders pouring drinks.

Campaign staffers here said they’re hoping the Democrats pull out decisive wins in the third district, where Tom Suozzi is seeking reelection, and in the fourth district, where former Hempstead town supervisor Laura Gillen is hoping to unseat Republican Congressman Anthony D'Esposito.

J.D. Allen

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WSHU

WSHU is behind-the-scenes at the Suffolk County Democrats' Election Night party at a union hall in Holtsville.

Cameras are waiting for candidates John Avlon for NY1 and Rob Lubin for NY2 to arrive. They hope to oust Republican incumbents Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino, respectively.

Polls in NY close at 9.

A handful of key races, including New York's Fourth Congressional District on Long Island, could decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The race is another matchup between Republican incumbent Anthony D’Esposito and Democratic challenger Laura Gillen.

Both have positioned themselves as moderates and paint the other as too extreme for the purplish district, where registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by about 75,000.

At a debate hosted by News 12 last month, D’Esposito defended himself against patronage accusations and touted his first-term record.

"I've been named the 11th most bipartisan member of Congress," D’Esposito said. "I said that I was going to deliver for the communities, every community here in the Fourth Congressional District, and I'm proud to say that I've already delivered $20 million in community projects, with 30 million more on the way. This is about turning words into action.” 

He said he wouldn’t support a federal abortion ban, but Gillen said voters can’t trust him.

“There are serious problems we have to fix. We have to secure our border," Gillen said. "We have to get reproductive freedom protected. We have to lower costs for the families in this district. My opponent has been there for two years, and he hasn't delivered in Congress. I will.”

U.S. Rep Nick LaLota (R-NY) hopes to defend his seat, and possibly the Republican majority in the House of Representatives Tuesday night.

LaLota wants a second term in New York’s First Congressional District. He took the vacant seat from then-Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who made an unsuccessful bid to become governor in 2022.

As a Navy veteran, most of the legislation he drafted over the past two years focused on protecting U.S. armed forces, National Security, and international affairs. He also earmarked millions of dollars for clean water infrastructure for Suffolk County.

“The nation cares about what happens on Long Island with these congressional districts," LaLota said at a recent campaign event. "The nation is relying on us to put our great country back on the right track.”

LaLota also prides himself on ousting disgraced Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Long Island’s delegation. Much of LaLota’s record is just right of center among increasingly far-right House leadership.

His Democratic opponent, John Avlon, took opportunities during debates to criticize LaLota for his support of former President Trump.

“This is the problem with folks who want to be followers, not leaders," Avlon said during a News12 debate. "He did what does whatever Donald Trump says. He's a rubber stamp.”

Avlon, a former CNN commentator, called out LaLota for not supporting national protections for abortion and transgender people.

The two agree on many issues, including restorations to state and local tax deductions, known as SALT.